Essential links to keep up with what's new in the Residential Childcare Sector
There is much change impacting on Residential Child Care at the present time. There is also a tremendous amount of research evidence and comment available on good practice and positive developments for the sector. It can be difficult to keep up with all the material that is put out at present and we hope this page will help you link through quickly to some of the most important areas.
RESIDENTIAL CHILD CARE
NCERCC – National Centre for Excellence in Residential Care
The National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care (NCERCC), based at NCB, is a major collaborative initiative to improve standards of practice and outcomes for children and young people in residential child care in England. The NCERCC site contains numerous helpful and informative practice papers as well as commentary on the most crucial developments which affect the Residential Child Care Sector. You can browse the wide range of material or sign up for a regular newsletter at:
POLICY
DCSF – Department for Children Schools and Families
The New Department was set up on 28 June 2007 and is responsible for improving the focus on all aspects of policy affecting children and young people.
The White Paper Care Matters: Time for Change
Sets out the Steps Government will take, together with local delivery partners, to improve outcomes for children and young people in care. This document, together with the four working group reports on Social Care Practices, The Care Population, Placements, and Best Practice in Schools, plus other related documents can be downloaded from:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/timeforchange/
ECM – Every Child Matters
Contains useful information about the Government’s overall Change for Children agenda including details of the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge that will become essential for all care staff, and all those (including volunteers) whose work brings them into contact with children. Also information on Safeguarding, Information Sharing and the Common Assessment Framework, and other measures introduced following the Children Act 2004.
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/
RESEARCH
SCIE – Social Care Institute for Excellence
The Social Care Institute for Excellence is a knowledge base for social care and has published many useful reports and research reviews including research briefings on Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Self harm. It also includes the Research Register for Social Care. The current knowledge review entitled Working with challenging and disruptive situations in residential care is due for publication towards the end of 2007.
NLCAS & WMTD – National Care Leaving Advisory Service and What Makes the Difference
These two organisations have come together to create www.leavingcare.org which aims to be the definitive signpost to all research and resources relating to leaving care.
INSPECTION AND REGULATION
Ofsted – The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills
‘New Ofsted’ brings together four previous inspectorates to provide a single regulator for all care and education services delivered to young people and adult learners in England. Ofsted took over responsibility for the inspection of Children’s Residential Care Homes on 1st April 2007. It is currently consulting on its Strategic Plan for 2007 – 2010 -Raising Standards, Improving Lives’ and welcomes comments from all stakeholders.
CSSIW – Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales
Children’s Homes, Social Services and Early Years in Wales are regulated and inspected by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales, which took over the functions of the former CSIW for the inspection of Children’s Homes in April 2007.
http://new.wales.gov.uk/cssiwsubsite/cssiw/?lang=en
WORKFORCE AND TRAINING
CWDC – Children’s Workforce and Development Council
Here you can keep up to date with the developments in the sector workforce strategy, download the Children’s Social Care Induction Standards and supporting materials, find information about all of the NOS (National Occupational Standards) relevant to the Residential Care Sector and find introductory material on social pedagogy. (See also below)
Introduction to Pedagogy
Papers reviewing the use of Social Pedagogy in Europe and on its proposed introduction to the Children’s Care Workforce in England can be found at the Thomas Coram Research site
http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=470&470_0=58
GSCC – General Social Care Council
The General Social Care Council is responsible for the Registration of social care workers in England and the regulation of their conduct and training. For full details of Codes of Practice, information about standards in training and learning for social workers and social care workers, and the Social Care Register, visit:
CCW – Care Council Wales
The Care Council Wales fulfils the same functions as the GSCC in England. It is available fully bilingually. The outcome of the recent consultation on the Review of National Occupational Standards for Registered Managers in Adult Social Care and Residential Managers in Residential Child Care will be published in the week commencing 6th August 2007.
BUSINESS RESOURCES
Capital Allowances On-Line
Most organisations engaged in the running of residential homes, whether for children, adults or older people, own property. Whilst your accountant is certainly aware of the capital allowances that can be reclaimed on the property itself, buildings contain many fixtures and fittings that can also be reclaimed against tax, often ‘re-introducing’ many thousands of pounds to your business. This is a highly specialised area of tax law – it is not a loophole or an avoidance – just a regulation so mind-numbingly boring that even most accountants won’t touch it! To find out if your business could gain real financial benefits, with no risk and no outlay, visit Capital Allowances On-line and contact Brian Spendelow, stating that you are an NCA member.
www.capitalallowancesonline.com
PPC – Positive People Company
Provides Employee Assistance Programmes suited to all sizes of company from the very small with 6 employees to the 100+ company. Confidential counselling services for employees and their families and ancillary services help to ensure your staff feel cared for and supported can reduce days lost in sickness as well as workplace stress. Personal account management and regular reporting ensures you can also monitor trends within your organisation based on usage. Employees can access services and advice through telephone or internet.
SERVICE USER REPRESENTATION, RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY
Office of the Children’s Rights Director for England
Rights4me is the website of the Office of the Children’s Rights Director for England. The current Director is Dr Roger Morgan. As well as ensuring that all children that you look after are provided with information about this site, you can access a range of reports reflecting the views of young people in England living away from home. The Office of the Children’s Rights Director is part of Ofsted.
ANV – A National Voice
Most members probably think they are already pretty good at listening to the views of children and young people and making these central to their service delivery. However young person centred you are as an individual or an organisation, it is always useful to keep up to date with the views of a wide range of children and young people. A National Voice, the organisation for and run by care experienced young people up to the age of 25 in England is a good place to start, producing many excellent reports summarising their research and participation work on topics that really matter to children in care, including the piloting of the LILAC scheme, promoting full participation by care experienced teams in inspections.
VFC (Cymru) – Voices from Care Wales
Voices provides advocacy services for children in care to local authorities and independent agencies in Wales and also ensures that young people’s views are fully represented to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). Voices is also a user led organisation staffed by care experienced adults.
VOICE
Voice provides advocacy and training services for organisation wishing to improve their levels of young people participation. It campaigns for all groups of vulnerable children including those in care, in the youth justice system and unaccompanied asylum seeking children; the organisation led the Blueprint Project, a large scale research project finding out what children in care thought should be top priorities in the care system and is a key partner in the alliance for child centred care. The alliance is open to any member who strives to put the needs of children first, and does not allow these to become secondary to the needs of the organisations and institutions designed to take care of them.
